Supercomputadora

Capítulo 8

“Alright,” she said spinelessly, lowering her head and swallowing the chewed chicken bone. “I understand what you mean.” Sure enough, he seemed like a difficult person to get along with and hard to fool.

Is it just my imagination? I have this feeling that she walked right into a trap that had been waiting for her.

As if sensing what she was thinking, he chuckled softly: "I knew you would reappear, so I told Uncle Jiao to keep an eye out. If anyone mentions You'er, make sure to keep that person here, no matter what means you have to use."

It's not an illusion...

"You... um, I mean, the kindness you've shown to my brother and me is something we'll never forget. If there's ever a day when I need your help, I'll do anything for you, even if it means my death!" If there's something truly serious that even he can't handle, then it's not her place to die for you.

Why don't you ask whether your son is alive or dead?

"What?" She was struck dumb. "You...didn't you say he was safe and sound? Could it be...could it be that he..."

"...You misunderstand. I'm just curious why you're so indifferent to your own brother. You'er has been awake for over a month now. Although he can't get out of bed, his health has improved considerably."

"..." She'd been tricked again. This man was known in the martial arts world as an overly kind person, polite, refined, and generous. His words were indeed perfectly reasonable, yet she always felt that every word he uttered was a trap for her.

Was she feeling guilty, or did he already know about her all along...?

“You should go see him.” He suddenly became serious, his words even carrying a hint of reproach. “His internal wounds have healed, but his heart wounds are hard to heal. He has always resented you for leaving him alone.”

"I……"

"Besides, if you're going to deliver food, you should do it yourself. There's no reason to rely on someone else." He glanced at her again, then turned and walked out the door.

“He…” she hurriedly followed.

Where is he?

Before Baili Qingyi could answer, a loud, boisterous voice came flying at her.

"Big brother! Second brother has taken care of the portrait, it will be ready tomorrow... Hey, isn't that the little beggar from the other day?" Sure enough, it was the big-mouthed Baili Tieyi. And behind him, slowly following in his wheelchair, was the expressionless Baili Ziyi.

Shui Wu'er covered her mouth and gasped softly. She had always seen Baili Ziyi sitting down before, but she never expected him to be...

Baili Ziyi seemed to notice her unusual behavior, gave a cold snort, and turned her head away.

Baili Tieyi circled around Shui Wu'er, looking her up and down with a disappointed expression. He clicked his tongue and said, "I thought it was something important that made my brother rush back from the Yuwen family's villa as soon as he received the news. It turns out it's just this little beggar."

...He rushed back so that he came back specifically for her? Shui Wu'er looked at Baili Qingyi with a heart full of doubt.

He didn't meet her gaze, but turned to her and instructed, "Uncle Jiao, take him to see You'er, then prepare a guest room for him to stay in."

"Yes, young master in blue."

Wait...wait, when did she say she wanted to stay?

Before she could react, the old man—Uncle Jiao—changed his expression again in a flash. He stormed up to her like a hen, grabbed the back of her collar with two fingers, and pinched her nose with his other hand in a pretentious manner. He shrieked, "You stinky and filthy brat, haven't you had a bath in years? You dare to visit someone in the hospital? Quick, go take a bath first!"

"No!" Shui Wu'er panicked. What a joke! All these years, she had been able to stay safe and her gender and identity had not been revealed thanks to the thick layer of filth on her body and face. If she were to be washed clean here and then displayed, her death would probably be imminent.

"You...you didn't look down on me at the door just now..." and even grabbed her and wouldn't let go...she felt wronged and was about to cry.

“That was just now!” the old hen said confidently and righteously. “Just now you were a guest, so I naturally couldn’t say anything. But now that you’re staying on my turf, you have to follow my rules.”

That tyrannical old man! Waaah... "Fine, I won't stay here then?" She really didn't understand. She considered herself smart and calm, so why did she turn into a helpless seven-year-old child whenever she encountered this old butler?

"no……"

"Uncle Jiao!" Baili Qingyi interrupted him, "If he doesn't want to take a bath, then so be it, don't force him."

"This..." Uncle Jiao puffed out his stubble-covered cheeks, clearly displeased, but he still conceded. "Yes, Young Master Qingyi."

"Uncle Jiao, what is this...?" Baili Tieyi stared wide-eyed at the departing figures of the old man and the young man.

"Uncle Jiao has already treated the little beggar as family. But why, brother..." Baili Ziyi frowned as well.

"I know what I'm doing."

※ ※ ※

In the dead of night, the capital city of Baili was like a sleeping cave, without even lanterns. If it weren't for the moon goddess's tender and beautiful moonlight casting its light across the ground, the courtyard would have been pitch black.

Life at Baili Mansion was remarkably simple for a manor of such stature. Aside from the old steward, Uncle Jiao, there were only three servants. While martial artists were known for their informality, which aristocratic family didn't have a multitude of servants and live a life of luxury? The Qiao Clan, in particular, controlled half of the waterway trade in the Central Plains, making them incredibly wealthy. As for Baili Mansion, no one knew what kind of business they relied on for survival. They only saw the four young masters of Baili Mansion constantly traveling and mediating disputes within the martial arts world. Could it be true, as the rumors circulated, that Baili Mansion was actually dirt poor?

In the middle of the night, Shui Wu'er woke up hungry. Her eyes were throbbing with pain, but she couldn't fall back asleep. In the past, when she woke up hungry in the middle of the night, she could pat her belly and go back to sleep. But tonight, for some reason, it was as if a lot of forgotten, heavy sorrows had been picked up again and pressed down on her heart, making her sink deeper and deeper into the deep water, until she couldn't breathe.

She wandered the courtyard like a ghost, mouth agape and yawning impatiently. Damn it, there were no lights in the courtyard, making it impossible for her to find her way.

Kitchen, kitchen, kitchen, kitchen kitchen kitchen kitchen kitchen...

Where is the kitchen?

At that moment, she felt that only eating could slightly soothe the struggle and anxiety in her heart, as well as the despairing emptiness.

While drifting aimlessly, she accidentally tripped over a thin vine on the ground. The vine snapped with a crack, and she fell to the ground.

"Ugh..." A soft moan escaped her lips, her mind not yet fully clear before her body went limp. Wait, shouldn't she have crashed heavily onto the hard, cold flagstones? Why was she now surrounded by warmth and softness, with two wide vines safely wrapped around her, preventing a painful yet intimate collision with the stone ground...

Wait, this isn't a big vine... She suddenly woke up and was about to speak when a large hand, as if anticipating this, quickly climbed up and tightly covered her small mouth.

Her body stiffened, a vague memory of fear and indignation gradually spreading through her body, making her hands and feet cold, and her breath seem to hang by a thread.

Seeing that she was unusually quiet and did not struggle, the owner of the large hand whispered slowly in her ear: "Don't panic, it's me!"

His gentle voice soothed the overwhelming unease that surged in her heart. She suddenly relaxed, letting herself slump in his arms, as if she had survived a catastrophe.

The voice continued to whisper in her ear: "Shh, don't make a sound!"

Her eyes finally regained focus. In the darkness, a white figure looked down at her, embracing her and leaning against the railing. The moonlight was dim, but she could still see clearly that less than half an inch from her face was his well-defined Adam's apple, and his strong chin rested precisely on her forehead.

This...this...this...

A light appeared in the corridor; it turned out to be Uncle Jiao walking by with a lantern. As he walked, he muttered to himself, "I don't believe it, I don't believe it, it really is alive, is it?"

The person beside her wasn't breathing, but Shui Wu'er felt that the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned. Yes, she couldn't see it, but she just felt it.

Uncle Jiao's footsteps and babbling gradually faded into the distance, and the large hand covering her mouth slowly released its grip. Shui Wu'er, still shaken, raised her head and met a pair of deep, dark eyes. In the moonlight, they appeared unusually bright and radiant, unusually... close.

"Wow!" She hurriedly pushed him away, angrily saying, "You lecher!"

"A lecher?" The voice on the other end repeated in surprise. This was the first time he had ever been called a "lecher," especially under these circumstances and by such a person.

A beggar who should be illiterate has no difficulty understanding his deliberately refined way of speaking, yet now he's calling him a "lecher"? Good, very good.

He's laughing again, he's laughing again, she's sure of it! Shui Wu'er was furious.

"What...what are you doing here sneaking around like this?" she hissed.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" the other person retorted lazily.

“I wasn’t being sneaky, I was just…” Her stomach automatically answered for her. “…Hungry.” She blushed slightly.

"But you, a dignified young man in blue robes, are playing tricks on yourself in your own home, pretending to be a ghost?" She wasn't fooled by his attempt to divert attention from the main point of the question.

“Me? Just like you.” Baili Qingyi leaned closer to her, letting her see a glimpse of his white teeth.

"Why are you getting so close for no reason?" She stammered for a moment, "And...don't you mind the smell?"

She would rather die than bathe during the day, so Uncle Jiao wouldn't let her in to see Shui You'er, saying she would infect him with something dirty. Humph, anyway, she was too lazy to bother him when he was asleep.

"Hmm..." He actually nodded, "It really does smell bad."

She gritted her teeth, feeling utterly helpless.

He stood up and gently helped her up, his movements very tender. Her anger subsided considerably, and she let him lead her down the corridor.

"Just now, when you didn't know it was me, why didn't you struggle or resist?" Just when she thought he would walk on quietly, he suddenly asked.

"I... am powerless, what use would it be to resist?" She did not answer him directly, but instead asked, "By the way, don't you always wear blue robes?"

"Qingyi is just a title. Actually, I don't particularly like wearing Qingyi. It's just that my name has left a misunderstanding in the world, and over time, I've gotten used to it." He answered quickly and surprisingly honestly, which made her a little embarrassed.

He must have noticed her evasiveness, but he didn't press her further.

He led her directly into the kitchen and lit a small lamp with a tinderbox. The dim light illuminated his relaxed and gentle smile, which met her eyes directly.

He turned around, opened the kitchen cabinet, and tapped the inner wall, magically opening a hidden compartment.

Her mouth dropped open, she stared in disbelief. A mechanism? A secret passage? A martial arts manual? A secret letter written in blood?

Baili Qingyi, however, calmly took out a sealed wine jar from inside.

“This is…” she stared blankly.

“This is Uncle Jiao’s treasured century-old wine. I’ve known since I was a child that he secretly put it here without telling anyone, so I often sneak over at night to drink it. I only drink a small cup at a time, and he never found out.” He said with an air of self-righteousness.

She gasped sharply. This wicked world... well, even a handsome young man like him is involved in such shady dealings.

"Haven't he noticed all these years?"

He smiled and said, "He eventually found out, but he couldn't figure out why the wine was less. He just assumed it had evaporated through the jar."

She curled her lip with a cold smile. Was this "just as" also the result of his indirect probing?

"But... why tell me?" The young man in blue robes in front of outsiders is not like this, but tonight he answers questions without any concealment.

Baili Qingyi saw through her thoughts, but only smiled faintly and did not answer. He placed two small cups, filled them, and then sealed the wine jar back in its original place. He then opened the other cupboard, took out some pastries and snacks, and placed them in front of her.

Shui Wu'er covered the small cup with her hand, looking at him with bright eyes: "Can I drink it too?"

He smiled and nodded.

She then carefully took a sip, letting the rich aroma of the wine overwhelm her sense of taste.

It really is good wine! She suddenly understood why Baili Qingyi, a dignified arbitrator of the martial arts world, and the eldest son of the Baili family, had willingly degenerated into a nighttime wine thief. It was too wicked of Uncle Jiao to not announce such a good thing to the world.

Thinking of this, she stuck out her tongue and licked her slender lips, which were stained with wine, with satisfaction.

"How could you bear to share such fine wine with me? You didn't poison it, did you?" Her gaze was fixed on him, her eyes full of smiles.

Two soft coughs were heard: "If the wine was really poisoned, it's too late for you to ask now."

She shook her head: "If you really poisoned the wine, even if I don't drink it, you'll force it in. If I drink it and then ask you, at least I can get the truth."

Baili Qingyi was slightly taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.

She lowered her head and began to struggle to fill her stomach, unaware of the unspeakable look that flashed across his eyes.

It is human nature to resist an attack, and it is a natural reaction. But she was so indifferent to her fate that it was as if being killed at any moment was a matter of course. She had no desires and no wants.

What exactly made her stop fighting like this?